Science Says “Calories Count” for a Sensible Weigh to Weight Loss

It seems the old adage; “You are what you eat” is a little off.  According to research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it isn’t what you eat, but how much. Results from the two-year study, which assigned 811 overweight participants to one of four reduced-calorie diets, found that from a weight loss perspective it didn't matter what foods the participants ate, but how many calories they consumed.  These findings are in line with a 2008 study by Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research which found that keeping a food diary can double a person’s weight loss.

A nationally projectable survey by the Calorie Control Council found participants who were currently dieting made an average of 3.6 dieting attempts in 2007, and it seems that finding a diet which will produce the most rapid weight loss has long seemed the primary quest for the majority of dieters.  However, the current study "really goes against the idea that certain foods are the key to weight loss," notes Frank Sacks, principal investigator and professor of cardiovascular-disease prevention at Harvard School of Public Health. “This is a pretty positive message.  It gives people a lot of choices to find a diet they can stick with.”  More information regarding the study may be found here: http://www.caloriecontrol.com/pr_20090302.html.

FDA's Food Ingredient Approval Process: Safety Assurance Based on Scientific Assessment

Before a low-calorie sweetener is approved for commercial use, it must undergo extensive testing (which can cost millions of dollars) and years of regulatory scrutiny. U.S. food safety laws prohibit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving a low-calorie sweetener (or any food ingredient) that has not been shown to be “safe,” which the agency defines as “a reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that the substance is not harmful... .” The burden of demonstrating safety is on the petitioner requesting approval. The petitioner is required to provide FDA with extensive data and comprehensive reports of research concerning safety. In addition to scientific evidence, FDA also considers projected consumption levels, as well as specific use levels requested in the petition.

A recent article, “FDA's food ingredient approval process: Safety assurance based on scientific assessment,” provides an in depth review of the FDA's food additive approval and Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) processes and is an excellent resource for those who would like to learn more about the FDA’s process of approving a new food additive.

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Last Updated 11/2006
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